Obama's To-Do List: Repaint Office, Place Head On Chopping Block

In 1929, Herbert Hoover rebuilt the Oval Office after a fire, but also installed air conditioning and upgraded trim. FDR rebuilt the room entirely, moving it southeast to be closer to the West Wing residence. These were our Great Depression presidents. The Great Depression, of course, being one time when unemployment was at over 25 percent and the whole world was in a devastating downward spiral.

Today, President Obama reupholsters some couches and adds a rug during an economic recession ... and he is immediately swarmed by critics saying that he's "hopelessly, unapologetically out-of-touch" with the American people. The catch? Every president for decades has put his personal mark on the office. This is a White House tradition, not an imperialist conspiracy. Our president, like those before him, lives in the ultimate gated community and is followed around 24/7 by a highly-trained team prepared to kill anyone who tries to harm him. What are we expecting him to do, start riding public transportation and requesting a bare-bones cubicle to welcome heads of state, create policy and negotiate treaties?

First, the facts: taxpayer money was not used for the project (it was paid for by the White House Historical Association, a non-profit), so let's not use the "that money should have been used to create jobs" line on the renovations. Even if it had, one commenter on the New York Times' coverage reminds us that, even if the renovations cost $100,000 (a generous estimate based on renovations by previous presidents), it would have come out to a tiny fraction of a penny per U.S. citizen. In short, we have much bigger issues to worry about.

Further, I think it's important to draw attention to the renovations themselves; in some ways, they take the office from ornate to almost suburban. The simple brown couches, fruit bowl on the coffee table, and understated, muted colors remind me a bit of a typical American family room — albeit one with no corners. If President Obama had plated the room in gold, my opinion on this would be entirely different. Instead, he created a low-key environment that keeps in mind the family values that I do believe Obama holds very close in his presidency. Best of all are the quotations he chose to form the border of the beige oval-shaped rug. My favorite? Theodore Roosevelt's "The welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally upon the welfare of all of us." Our elected leader has created a space which, both to him and to visitors, instantly evokes a sense of what we hold important in this country, and in these times. Kudos to him.

The bottom line is this: President Obama is a high-level executive whose day job is running an entire nation. If he wants to redecorate one of the most important rooms in the U.S., he should be able to without getting grief from flustered masses on a witch hunt. Until I know what it's like to make key decisions that affect 307 million people before my first cup of coffee, I'll be the last one throwing stones in white houses.

Photo credit: Ethan.K